FCD hires Gorman as technical director

Since last fall’s firing of longtime GM Michael
Hitchcock, a looming question for FC Dallas has been whom the club would hire
to replace him.

That query was answered on Tuesday when Barry Gorman,
who spent 22 years as head coach at Penn State, was officially introduced as
the club’s first technical director in franchise history.

“We’re extremely delighted to have him,” FC Dallas
investor-operator Clark Hunt told reporters before training on Tuesday morning.
“He’ll serve the club primarily on the player personnel side, where he’ll be in
charge of scouting both on a national and international basis. He’ll also be
involved with our youth club in helping identify prospects for the first team.
He will manage our international club partnerships and he will also work with
the head coach in improving the development of the first team.”

FCD relieved Hitchcock of his duties at the conclusion
of last season. Since then, the club has received countless resumes and
materials from parties interested in becoming the franchise’s first-ever TD
before finally settling on Gorman.

“It was a long process,” Hunt said. “We talked to many
qualified candidates and at the end of the day, it was clear Barry was the
right person. He brings a background both in American soccer and international
soccer, where he was a professional player. It’s a perfect fit for the
organization.”

In his 22 years as head coach of the Nittany Lions,
Gorman led PSU to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and two appearances in the
national quarterfinals. His teams won three Big Ten conference titles and in
2005, he was named the conference’s coach of the year. A native of Belfast,
Northern Ireland, Gorman spent a total of 24 years in Happy Valley, the first
two as an assistant before being named head coach in 1988.

While he looks back on his time in State College with
great pride, he also knew it was time for a new experience.

“It’s the challenge [that drew me here],” Gorman told
reporters Tuesday. “I think every once in a while, you have to reinvent
yourself. And it’s a chance to give back to the game, a chance to be involved
in the growth. You don’t leave somewhere like Penn State unless you’re going to
move to a similar organization with people who care, people who want to grow it
and do it the right way. “

Gorman and FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman have been
friends for several decades, something that definitely factored into his
decision. However, there’s no doubt in Gorman’s mind about who’s running the
show in Frisco.

“I’ve
always felt that the head coach is in charge,” he said. “He’s the one that
makes the decisions. You have to have a head coach to steer the ship. I’m
looking forward to getting involved in the youth program because I think you
have to have that homegrown talent and Schellas agrees with that. We see
eye-to-eye on a lot of things.”